Santa Claus is a major figure in the folklore of the Western world. His image has even spread to a few Asian countries such as Japan, whose connections with the West are quite deep and intricate. He has acquired his persona and lifestyle from a number of different cultures over the years, just as Christmas has gathered to itself many aspects that have little to do with the birth of Jesus. Christmas and Santa Claus have much in common in their development from primarily religious origins into the largely secular ideas that they are today. Let us have a meander through history and see just how the legend of Santa Claus, and particularly the Christmas Santa Claus, developed into such an integral part of our culture.

The Beginnings

It would appear that the template for Santa Claus was a 4th century Christian bishop called Saint Nicholas of Myra. Myra was then part of the Byzantine Empire situated in, what is now, Turkey. What connects him to our modern figure is his generosity to the poor in the form of gifts. The key story that caused him to be remembered was his gift of wedding dowries to three impoverished sisters, which saved them from the only other life open to poor, unwedded girls of the time: prostitution. His name and fame filtered into Europe over the centuries and he was particularly revered in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Germany. We shall see later that the Dutch brought him to America in the 17th century. Their spelling of his name: Sinterklaas, is the ancestor of our Santa Claus.

Christ’s Birth Not in December

Christmas and Santa Claus go together like apple pie and ice cream, but Christmas, like Santa, has complicated origins. According to ReligiousTolerance.org, scholars not only think that Jesus was most probably born in 4 BCE, but that the most likely time of year was in September or October, and if not then, closer to Spring. In addition, the census mentioned in the Bible would not have taken place in mid-winter in any case because the weather would have been too bad. Josephus, a contemporary historian who wrote in detail about the time, doesn’t mention it at all, so there is doubt that it ever took place. Why, then, December 25?

In the early centuries of the Common Era (CE), pagan Rome celebrated a solstice festival in December. It was the time when the waning winter sun reversed its course and, once again, the days became longer with their promise of spring to come. This festival of Saturn (the origin of our word “saturnalia”) featured gift-giving and much drunken revelry as well as religious observances. As a way to both ride on the existing religious fervor and in an attempt to attract new recruits, the emerging Christian Church of that era decided to celebrate the birth of Christ at that time. The Christmas religious festival developed from there, but it also brought along the excess baggage of gift-giving and drunken revelry.

Pagan Connections to Christmas and Santa Claus

Perhaps the closest connection between Santa and a pagan ritual is the Christmas stocking.

In Germanic folklore, at Yule time (the winter solstice), children would fill their boots with carrots, straw and sugar, and place them near the chimney. It was thought that their main god, Odin or Wodan, would stop by and use the food to feed his horse, Sleipnir, and, in reward for their kindness, he would place gifts and candy for the children in their boots. This practice eventually became associated with St. Nicholas after the adoption of Christianity, and came to America with the Dutch. Both Odin and Saint Nicholas were seen as bearded older men and it is easy to see their metamorphosis into Santa Claus, and the boots into stockings. Other yuletide pagan elements that were imported into the Christmas tradition in England and its colonies were holly wreaths, mistletoe and the Christmas tree with its decorations. The Father Christmas figure is actually English in origin and has been incorporated into the overall legend. His religious significance is underlined by the priestly use of “Father.”

Santa’s Little Helpers

The Dutch also gave Sinterklaas his helpers. They are called the Zwarte Pieten and are said to assist the saint in all he does, particularly climbing on roofs to push presents down the chimney, or even climbing down themselves. In some tales, they were also responsible for chastising bad children; a precursor to Santa’s knowledge of which children are “naughty or nice.”

Modern Times

In the modern history of Santa Claus, it is Washington Irving in his History of New York published in 1809 who first changes his name from Sinterklaas to Santa Claus. In this version, he was bearded, smoked a pipe, wore a green winter coat and was heavy set; his first tendency to obesity. However, the modern figure of Santa became set in the public mind when a poem was published about him in the New York Sentinel in 1823. That poem was called “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” but has become much better known today as “The Night Before Christmas.” It was published anonymously, and it was not until 1844 that Clement Clarke Moore was revealed as the author. It was in this poem that the eight reindeer made their appearance, and Santa gained still more weight. The reindeer can be seen as yet another carryover from the Germanic and Scandinavian tales. Another addition to the story of Santa Claus was a wife. In the 1899 poem “Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride,” Katherine Lee Bates created Mrs. Claus.

There is an urban myth that the Coca Cola Company invented Santa Claus in the 1930s, but he had already been used in advertising long before that. White Rock Beverages used him to sell mineral water as early as 1915, and ginger ale in 1923. There is no doubt, however, that Coca Cola’s depiction of him as a portly gentleman in a red and white winter suit, and sporting a luxuriant white beard is the image that comes to mind whenever we think of Santa Claus today.

In America, what helped cement Santa Claus’s connection with benevolence and philanthropy in general, on top of his giving gifts to children, was the Salvation Army dressing volunteers as Santa and putting them on the streets around Christmas time to solicit charitable donations.

However, the advent of mass media in the 20th century, like cinema and television, has turned what was a symbol of good-hearted benevolence that sat not too awkwardly with Christmas’s Christian tradition of charity, into a major selling tool for the world’s businesses. The emphasis is no longer on the giving, but the buying.

Nevertheless, underneath all the hoopla, there is still a tradition we would all like to keep, one that, in the end, supersedes the commercial. When you send a letter to Santa Claus from your child, you don’t have to ask, is Santa Claus real? “Real” in this case, is what a child believes, and believes for all the right reasons.

Do You Know Your Christmas Trivia?

Are you prepared when the holidays roll around or do you experience panic year after year during the hustle and bustle of the December days? Getting ready for festivities can put you in the mood to turn on music, pull out the decorations and be jolly, but how well do you really know your holiday triva? From trimming the tree and feasting to shopping, these holiday questions get you in the spirit with helpful hints not meant for Scrooge.